Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is?

The time is now. America is waking up. Resistance is the order of the day. I could feel it with growing certainty as I read the numerous and gratifying responses to my call for a national strike here on HuffPost. So many smart people offering so many good ideas. Even my detractors acknowledged the underlying issues I put forth.

This notion was reaffirmed on August 28 when Bill Maher interviewed Bill Moyers on a special edition of HBO's "Real Time". "The Democratic Party has become like the Republican Party, deeply influenced by corporate money," Moyers said. A short while later he added: "You really have two corporate parties who in their own way and their own time are serving the interests of basically a narrow set of economic interests in the country." In other words, it's the people versus the corporate state.

You hear it more and more, sometimes spoken in code, sometimes spelled out as clearly as a neon sign. We have reached the tipping point. The enemy has been identified. It's not left versus right it's democracy versus greed. This realization sits there like an unexploded bomb. We stare at it, waiting only for someone to light the match.

That was the essence of the debate here on HuffPost. Who will set a strike date? What date shall it be? Some called for me to set it. I demur. It's not up to me. There are enough millionaires telling you what to do. And I'm not at risk. I say, let the people decide.

That's what was so exciting about the discussion my essay evoked; it was all so egalitarian, so organic. Some who responded said they could not afford to stay home from their jobs; they were too vulnerable. Others suggested letting each participate in the way that is best for them. If you can't yell strike, or claim a sick day, then go to work but don't shop.

That makes sense to me. Like it or not, we are a consumer-driven society. Each and every purchase we make is a political action. That's called the power of the consumer. We must learn to wield this power effectively.

When it came to picking a date for the strike, some said September 11, others preferred October 1, and yet others favored November 5. I like all those dates. Why should there be just one? Or just three? We'll need a series of strikes. We'll need to build a movement. This isn't going to succeed overnight.

Whatever date is chosen, or however many, I'll throw in my support. It will be a slow build, but we can win this battle if we remain focused on the prize: meaningful campaign finance reform and serious restrictions on lobbying activity. It's time to take back our government. Let the average person have an equal voice with the wealthy.

For now, remember: The corporations do not control our government; they are our government.